Boat



May 22, 1928.

1,670,623 W. A. HICKMAN .BOAT

FiledJan. 10, 19, 25 2 Sheets-Sheet J law/wen yw ,w

ay 22, 1928. 1, 0,623 WEA. HICKMAN BOAT Filed Jan. 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented May 22, 1928.

TE S

WILLIAM AIJCBIELIRIL HICKMAN, OF WEST MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT.

- Boa-r.

Application filed January 10, 1923. Serial No. 611,887.

This invention pertains to. improvements in boats.- It is among theobects of the invention to improve the action of gliding or semi-glidingtype.

boats of the In the drawings, which show preferred forms of myinvention: Figure 1- is a plan of a boat, being partly broken away andpartly in section;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of F ig. 1, being partly inelevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 2.2 of

Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement of rudder controls;

Fig. 4 is a stern elevation of-the boat "shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the linc 5--5 of Fig. 4, being partly inelevation Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. having the'bow trated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view 7 is a bottom plan view of the boatsteering mechanism illusof the forward portion of the boat showing therudder arrangement illustrated in steering to port; and

Fig. 3 while Figs. 9 and'lO are partial'sections corresponding to Figs.relation of the how the boat to port.

Referring tothe drawings and to the preinvention selected I. have shownin hull 11 of the inferred embodiments of my for illustrative purposes,Fig. 1 a boat having verted V-bottom type, resents inverted V roadening'aft and preferably in a substantially straight stern transom,.

2 and 3 and showing the rudders when steering the bottom of whichsections gradually terminating as illustrated in .Fig. 4, theconstruction being generally v United States .November 7, 1916.

similar to that shown in my Patent No. 1,204,355, issued A portion ofthe boat amidships is broken away. Forward" of amidships of the boat, Ihave shown rudder posts 12, 13 carrying vertically disposed rudders 14,15, as, best shown in rudder posts passing the boat at pointssubstantially from the keel 16 and v tance from the chines 17, 18.

posts 12, 13 are connected for ation by suitable mechanism typified Fig.2, such through the bottom of equidistant located at some dis- Therudder joint 0per bell cranks 19,20 joined by connecting rod 21 andadapted to be swung, 1n

I i as suitable flexible driving arrang fied by thecable 22 passing overunison by a ement typithe sheaves turn on the water, and

- is travelling at great speed.

by the 23 and 2 1 and wound around a drum 25= on the steeringpost of theboat.

The before-described rudder mechanism constitutes a preferred type ofhow steering means. Bow steering means cooperating with a boat having ahull of the inverted V-bottom type is particularly etiicient, because,as the rudders are turned to guide the boat in the desired direction,the rudder on the inside of the turn will always tend to pull down thatside of the boat on the inside of the turn, while the rudder on thatside of they boat adjacent the outside of the turn will bank the wateragainst the bottom.

of the boat and tend to raise the adjacent side of the boat, thusefl'ectively banking the boat for the turn, precluding the tripping ofthe side of the boat on the outside of the banking that portion of thebottom of the boatadjacent the inside of the turn so that it presents anoblique surface to the water, which tends to oppose skidding withoutproducing any tendency to trip. At the same time, when the boat isturning at great speed, an opportunity is afforded whereby the boat mayswing or pivot on that portion of its keel adjacent the bow steeringmeans, thus promoting quick turning without danger evenwhen the boat InFig. 3, I have shown a modification of how steering means wherein therudders 30, 31 are inclined inwardly, being shown substantiallyperpendicular tothe adjacent hottoms of the boat, this inclination ofthe rudders increasing the banking action of the boat when "turningarising from pulling down that side thereof at the inside of the turnand elevating the side of .the boat ad-- jacent the outsideof the turn;the rudder on theinside of the turn will undercut the water and theopposite side of the boat will overcut or tend to plane on the water.Where the rudders are thus angled relative to one another, I may providerudder controlling means typified by the rack 32 en-' gaged by thepinion 33, which is connected to the steering wheel of the boat, themove ment of the rack 32- being communicated to the-rudders throughconnecting links. 34, 35 providing suitable ball or other universalconnections so that there will be no binding arising from the absence.of alignment between the rudder pivots.

- While the bow steering means is of advani 7 ing or semi-planing typeregardless of the a type of propulsion used therewith, such steeringmeans is particularly useful in connection with surface propulsionsystems wherein the propeller, hubs are at or slight,

1y above the level of the water presentedfrom beneath the adjacentbottom of the boat. 'I have shown in the present application surfacepropulsionmeans including a single propeller 40 having its hub 41slightly abovethe-bottom of the stern of the boat 42. To oppose lateralmovement of the stern of the boat,-tending to move the stern of the boatin the direction opposite to that f in which the propeller blades movethrough the water, I have provided adjacent-the propeller immersedplates 43 and 44. herein shownas extending forwardly and rearof thepropeller and opposing latera movement of the stern actuated by'paddling'operation of the propeller: Thus,

if the propeller illustrated is turning in clockwise direction, asviewed in Fig.- 4, the pressure on the inside of the plate 44 will bereduced while the pressure on the inside of the plate 43 will beincreased, thereby causing pressure of the water on the outside of 'theplate 44 and on the inside of the plate 43 to overbalance the opposedpressure on the opposite sides of said plates and urging the stern ofthe boat to port, as viewed in Fig.-

dercut the side of the boat, while cut the water, tending to raise thestarboard precluding tripping of 4, counteracting the paddling-tendencyof the wheel 40 to urge the stern to starboard.

Where, as in the preferred form of my in-. vention illustrated,'theplates 43 and 44 are angled relative to one another so that theirgeneral planes will meet below the bottom of t e boat, not onl5 islateral paddling action minimized by reason of the inclination cut tingoff the flow'of water from below the plates, but steering action whenturning at speed is facilitated because, when the stern of the boatstarts to swing in turning atspeed, the plates 43 and 0 44 will assistin banking the boat toward the inside of the curve. Thus if theboat, asviewed in Fig. I

4, is turning to port, the plate 43 will unwater, dragging down the portthe p side of the boat, thus the starboard side of the boat in the.water and contributing to the anti-skidding action of that side of theinverted .V-bottom of the boat toward the inside of the turn.

While I have shown and described preferred embodiments of my-invention,it will "side of the turn.

through the ate 44' will overv hull. of the inverted V- two rudderssubstantially equidistant from the keel and on opposite'sidesthereof.

2. A boat of the inverted V-bottom type having bow rudder -meansprojecting through the bottom thereof. and comprising two rudderssubstantially equidistant from the keel and on opposite sides thereof,said rudders connected for conjoint operation.

'.3. A ,boat of the inverted V-bottom type having bow rudder meansprojecting through the bottom thereof and comprising two ruderssubstantially equidistant from the keel and on opposite sides thereof,-said rudders connected for conjoint operation and, when turning theboat, inclined relative to the direction of movement of, the

boat to undercut the water at that side-of the 'boat adjacent the insideof the turn and to overcut the water at that'side of the boat adjacentthe-outside of the turn.

4. A boat having a hull, a single surface propeller,and submer saidpropeller and en ed means adjacent ject to the lateral wash thereofopposing lateral movement of the stern of the boat .due to the movementof the immersed portions .of said propeller'' through the water, saidsubmerged means angle to bank the boat when turning by depressing thatside thereof 5. A'boat having a hull, a single surface propeller, andsubmerged surfaces adjacent said propeller and subject to the fjlateralWash the stern of theboat due to the movement of the submerged surfacesof said propeller water, said immersed portions toward the in thereofopposing lateral movement of angled to bank the boat when turning by fdepressin that side-thereof toward the'insi' side of t e, turn andlocated generally in pianos intersecting belowfthe bottom of the 6..Aboat comprising, in combination "a single semisubmerged .or surfacepropellerat the stern thereof, fixed means adjacent the propellerforcounteractingthe paddling action thereof and bow. rubber means forsteering the boat.

7. A boat comprisin' in combination, {a

rudder means located generally in planes intersecting below the bottomofthe boat. 8. A boat comprising,

ttom type and bow Y in combination, a

hull of the inverted V.-bottom type and twin a bow rudders, eachgenerally perpendicularto the general'dplane of the ad acent portion Iof the mverte V-bottQm of said boat.

9. A-boat comprising steering means-providlngfor banking of the boatwhen turning at speed, and means adjacent the stern of the oatcontributing to anking of the hull when turning at's' eed.

. In testimony whereof, name to this s ecification.

WILLI ALBERT HICKMAN.

I have signe my ,in combination, bow

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. 7 Patent No. 1,670,623. r Granted May 22.1928, m

'WILLIAM ALBERT HICKMAN.

. It; is hereby certified that error appears in the printedspecification of the above numbered patent requiring correction asfollows: Page 2, line 77, claim 3, for the misspelled'word "ruders"'read"rudders"; same page, line 101, claim 5, for the words "submergedsurfaces" read "immersed portions" and line 102, for "immersed portions"read "submerged surfaces"; and that the said Letters Patent should beread with these corrections therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in-the- Patent Office. I

- Signed and sealed this 10th day of July, A. D. 1928.

. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

